Hotel/Motel Tax Up for Vote in Youngsville

Tomorrow, voters in all but two parishes in Acadiana head to the polls for a primary election. Nothing on the ballot in Vermilion and Evangeline parishes, but elsewhere there's everything from a seat in congress to taxes on the line. Take the City of Youngsville, where voters will be asked to approve a 4 percent hotel/motel tax. But if you're familiar with Youngsville, you'll know there aren't any hotels or motels, so what's the tax for?

It's not a hotel under construction in Youngsville, it's the future Youngsville Sports Complex and it's just a few short months from being finished. This is part of the reason why the city put the hotel/motel tax on the ballot.

"We're looking ahead and we want to have that in place for two reasons," said Mayor Wilson Viator. "one, is so when the hotel comes we can start collecting the tax. And secondly, when somebody wants to come in and invest in the community they know they're going to be paying a hotel tax."

The 4-percent tax would be dedicated to maintaining the new community center that will be built as part of the new Youngsville Sports Complex. The tax would be paid only by those who stay at the hotels.

"Whoever is coming in would be staying at the hotels and motels and help us fund this community center, help pay for some of this expense," said Viator.

"I would vote for that. That is one of the things I'm so grateful for is that sports complex. All my children are involved in sports and the fields they have now are outdated, so yeah, absolutely," said resident Laurin Dalton.